China vs India: Share of primary energy use by source
China
9.8%
in 2025
India
6.1%
in 2025
China rank
68th
India rank
70th
Share of primary energy use by source over time
- China
- India
How they compare
China currently reports 9.8% against 6.1% in India, a difference of 3.7%.
That makes China's figure about 1.6 times India's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 61 shared years of data; in 1965 it was China ahead.
China ranks 68th and India ranks 70th of 77 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, China averaged higher in 3 and India in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | India | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.9% | 0.5% | 0.4% | China |
| 1970s | 2.3% | 1.2% | 1.1% | China |
| 1980s | 2.3% | 3.0% | 0.6% | India |
| 1990s | 1.9% | 6.3% | 4.4% | India |
| 2000s | 2.6% | 7.5% | 4.9% | India |
| 2010s | 6.0% | 7.4% | 1.4% | India |
| 2020s | 9.5% | 6.5% | 3.0% | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of primary energy use by source, China or India?
- China, at 9.8% against 6.1% in India as of 2025.
- What is the difference in share of primary energy use by source between China and India?
- 3.7%, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and India?
- 61 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 2025.
- How do China and India rank globally for share of primary energy use by source?
- China ranks 68th and India ranks 70th of 77 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Energy Institute - Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) β with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of primary energy use by source. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Measured as a percentage of total energy supply.